NANOSYSTEMS FOR ANALYTICAL APPLICATIONS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND INDUSTRY

-Knowledge and understanding:
I) Demonstrate adequate knowledge and understanding of the current state of the art of nanomaterial chemistry.
II) Know the difference between massive (bulk) materials and nanomaterials and the instrumental methods suitable for recognizing them.
III) Demonstrate appropriate knowledge and adequate understanding of the chemical (bottom-up) and physical (top-down) synthetic approaches for the preparation of nanomaterials, with particular reference to the knowledge of the control and modulation of the various parameters during the synthesis process to obtain nanostructures with specific dimensions and morphologies and therefore controlled structural, optical and functional properties.

D2 - Applying knowledge and understanding:
I) Ability to use learned concepts to predict and interpret the chemical, physical, and optical properties of an inorganic nanomaterial.
II) Ability to recognize coherent and feasible technological applications of inorganic nanomaterials in the biomedical, pharmaceutical, and industrial fields.
By the end of the course, students will be able to solve problems related to nanomaterial science and develop scientific and/or technical application projects.

D3 - Making judgments:
I) Use the knowledge acquired to evaluate which synthetic methods are most suitable for producing nanostructured materials from various inorganic compounds (metals, semiconductors, oxides).
II) Ability to evaluate the fields of application of inorganic nanomaterials.
At the end of the course, students will be able to choose the most appropriate investigation techniques for the type of experimental problem to be addressed, such as the characterization of nanometric systems, and evaluate their limitations.
At the end of the course, students will be able to critically apply the methodological skills acquired to different operational contexts and research topics, independently identifying the most suitable approaches for the specific problem.
Students will be able to retrieve information from open-access databases, scientific literature, etc.
At the end of the course, students will be able to formulate reflections on scientific and ethical issues regarding
safety, environmental sustainability, economic impact, and health.

D4 - Communication skills:
I) Ability to use appropriate scientific and technical terminology and symbols to discuss course content.
II) Ability to develop an independent and partly original discussion of such content.
At the end of the course, students will be able to argue and support scientific issues in specialized and popular contexts.
Students will acquire communication skills useful for participating in or coordinating multidisciplinary projects and groups in chemical research.
At the end of the course, students will be able to work independently, managing time and resources, and adapting to new contexts.
At the end of the course, students will be able to convey the theoretical and/or experimental knowledge acquired to undergraduate students.

D5 - Learning skills:
I) Ability to independently develop the fundamental concepts (techniques and theoretical models) developed during the course to identify problems in nanomaterials chemistry.
II) Ability to make logical connections between course topics.
By the end of the course, students will be able to effectively identify and consult scientific literature, specialized databases, and online resources to obtain information on nanometric systems and their analytical applications.
By the end of the course, students will be able to address new studies, emerging scientific topics, and professional issues in various work contexts.
By the end of the course, students will be able to manage complex problems, including interdisciplinary ones.
By the end of the course, students will be able to find and evaluate information to formulate and argue solutions in specialized and popular contexts.

Lessons.

This course may be offered in an "English-friendly" format. The course will be taught in Italian, but students participating in an international mobility program will be supported with English-language teaching materials . Exams may be taken in English. The "English-friendly" format will be adopted upon request by students participating in an international mobility program.

If the course would be at distance, or in presence and at distance at the same time, the necessary and appropriate changes to the statement originally declared will be introduced to comply to the program reported in the syllabus.

Basic knowledge acquired with the Bachelor's degree.

As per the university teaching regulations and the Course of Study regulations.

If the teaching is taught in mixed or remote mode, the necessary variations may be introduced with respect to what was previously declared, in order to respect the program reported in the syllabus.

Colloidal systems. Inorganic Colloids. Historical background. Synthetic procedures: top down and bottom up methods. Synthesis of Nanoparticles with different shapes: isotropic and anisotropic structures. Stabilization of colloids: role of capping agents and of attractive and repulsive forces in the aggregation processes. Electrical properties of colloids. Role of pH and ionic strength. Nanoparticles functionalization: physical absorption, chemisorption and covalent functionalization. Critical evaluation and optimization of the strategies of wet synthesis for the obtainment of gold and silver stable colloids. Most relevant methods of colloids characterization: TEM, DLS, AT-FTIR, PL spectroscopy.

Analytical applications: Nanostructured materials as objects (analytes) or tools involved in the analytical process. Analytical Nanosystems. Use of Nanoparticles as Tools in Analytical Processes.

Nanomaterials for the optimization of analytical procedures:

1) Purification and Preconcentration of Analytes.

2) Improvement of Chromatographic and Electrophoretic Separations.

3) Aggregation and fluorescence methods. Increasing the sensitivity in the Detection Processes: chiral discrimination of amino acids, quantitative determination of metal ions, of halide and sulfide ions and of biological analytes.

Catalytic applications: nanoparticles in photocatalysis. Catalysis in Oxidative Processes. Catalysis by Unsupported Nanoparticles. Evaluation of the catalytic performances of nanosystems by using model compounds.

Determination of nanoparticles in biological and environmental samples.

Series: Comprehensive Analytical Chemistry 66, Gold Nanoparticles in Analytical Chemistry, Miguel Valcárcel and Ángela I. López-Lorente (Eds.), Publisher: Elsevier, (2014) ISBN: 0444632859,978-0-444-63285-2

Letteratura scientifica.

 Krajczewski, K. Kołątaj, A. Kudelski, Plasmonic nanoparticles in chemical analysis, RSC Adv., 7 (2017) 17559- 17576.

H I Badi’ah et al IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 217 (2019) 012005

1 Exposition of a topic chosen by the student relevant to the topics covered during the course.
2 Questions formulated by the commission on the topics considered essential.

3 The verification of learning can also be carried out electronically, should the conditions require it.

La valutazione terrà conto del grado di conoscenza e comprensione di tutti gli argomenti trattati nel corso, nonché della proprietà di linguaggio e della chiarezza espositiva mostrate dallo studente. Particolare importanza verrà data alla capacità di analisi e di risoluzione di problemi in ambito analitico.

Information for students with disabilities and/or SLD

To guarantee equal opportunities and in compliance with the laws in force, interested students can request a personal interview in order to plan any compensatory measures, based on the educational objectives and specific needs.

All course topics.